New collaboration for nurses seeking baccalaureate, masters degrees

Our Lady of Lourdes School of Nursing is partnering with Immaculata University to give nurses a direct path to earn a BSN degree and continue on to a master's degree. (Lourdes Health System)

Catholic Health East has announced it's working with nurses at four New Jersey hospitals to make sure their staffs have access to higher levels of education, part of a broader trend by hospitals to increase their hiring of baccalaureate-educated nurses to handle increasingly complex care.

At Our Lady of Lourdes School of Nursing in Camden, nurses pursuing their registered nursing designations also can work toward an associate's degree at Camden County College, putting them on track for a bachelor of science in nursing degree.

Lourdes School of Nursing announced Monday it has entered a new partnership with Immaculata University, outside Philadelphia, to give a direct path for nurses looking to earn a BSN degree and continue on to a master's degree. The Immaculata nursing classes will be held on the Our Lady of Lourdes campus.

"We are pleased that Lourdes students continue to benefit from our partnership with Camden County College," said Alexander Hatala, president and CEO of Lourdes, in the announcement. Immaculata, Hatala said, "has an excellent reputation in nursing education, and its emphasis on holistic care aligns with our mission to educate nurses that provide outstanding quality care and serve and advocate for those in need."

The agreement also extends the RN to BSN and MSN degree programs to nurses at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County; St. Francis Medical Center, in Trenton; and St. Michael's Medical Center, in Newark. Catholic Health East nurses will have access to discounted tuition at Immaculata through the program.

The RN to BSN program is already in place, and the masters program is expected to be available next summer.